Whole Emmer Sourdough Bread Recipes

WHOLE EMMER SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Stir together the water, starter and honey in another bowl or pyrex measuring cup.
• Mix the dry and wet ingredients until all the flour is incorporated. The emmer flour takes some time to absorb the water. Do not rush to add extra water until you have mixed for a few minutes. I used my hands for this.
• Cover the dough and set it aside at room temp for one hour. I have these covers and find them very helpful with the constant on and off of plastic.
• After one hour, stretch and fold the dough four times as per the first video here. To summarize the video instructions: scrape the dough loose from the bowl with a wet scraper, lift it out with two hands, fold it in thirds. Then do the same from the opposite sides of the dough.
• Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and set a timer for twenty minutes.
• Repeat this three more times. This is four stretch and folds over the course of the second hour since mixing (1:00, 1:20, 1:40 and 2:00 hours). You should notice a big difference in the pliability of the dough over the course of the stretching and folding.
• Let dough ferment for an additional 6-12 hours depending on room temp (that is 8-14 hours total since mixing up the dough).
• Scrape the dough out of its bowl onto a well-floured counter. Gently spread the dough into a rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds and then in half. See this Breadtopia video for more details on folding and shaping.
• Let the dough rest for 15 minutes while you wash the dough bowl and prep your proofing basket. If you want a very contrasted score like the boule pictured above, coat a tea towel or basket liner with flour.
• Flour your hands and the dough, flip the dough, tuck under the edges while rotating it to create a boule or batard shape.
• Lay your dough in the basket, seam side UP for a neat score later. (You can dampen your fingertips and gently rub the seams closed if they seem to be gaping.) Cover the basket with plastic.
• Put the basket in the refrigerator for about 10 hours (up to 20) OR leave the basket at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven and your baking vessel to 450 F for thirty minutes before the proofing time is up.
• Flour your hand and flip the dough out of the basket, and place it into the hot baking vessel. Score it with a razor. The deep brown of the grain against the white flour will allow for a highly contrasted design.
• Bake until the internal temp is around 205 F.
• 35 minutes at 450 degrees, lid on.
• 10 minutes at 450 degrees, lid off.

50% EMMER (FARRO) SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Mixing and Bulk Fermentation
• Mix the dough ingredients together in a large bowl and cover.
• After a 20-30 minute rest, stretch and fold the dough with damp fingertips. You can transfer the dough to a straight-walled container at this point if you want. Cover, let the dough rest another 20-30 minutes.
• Do two more rounds of stretching and folding with a 20-30 minute rest in between.
• Let the dough bulk ferment until it has almost doubled in size. At warm temps (low 80s) my dough needed about 5 hours to double. In colder temperatures or with weaker starter, the dough will need more time.
• Shaping and Final Proof
• If desired, flake emmer berries for the bread's crust.
• Flour your work surface and scrape your dough out of your bowl or bucket.
• Shape the dough into a boule, batard, or oblong loaf to suit your proofing basket and baking vessel.
• Evenly spread the optional emmer flakes on your work surface in the shape of the dough (round, oval, oblong). Brush or spray water on the top of your dough and flip it onto the flakes to coat the dough surface.
• Place the dough flake-side down in your proofing basket. Scoop up some of the extra flakes and "drizzle" them down the edges of the dough to further coat it and prevent sticking.
• Cover and let the dough rise again for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then refrigerate it overnight (8-16 hours). You can also leave the dough at room temperature for longer (1-2 hours) and bake it without the refrigeration stage. My dough bulk-fermented past doubling, so I refrigerated it immediately after shaping and baked about 8 hours later to compensate.
• Baking
• Preheat your oven and baking vessel to 500F for at least 30 minutes.
• Flip the dough out of the proofing basket and onto a sheet of parchment paper or onto the base of your hot baking vessel. Score or scissor cut the dough, then cover and return the vessel to the oven.
• If your baking vessel is a ceramic cloche, bake at:
• 500°F for 20 minutes, lid on
• 450°F for 5 minutes, lid on
• 450°F for 10 minutes, lid off
• If your baking vessel is cast iron, bake at:
• 500°F for 15 minutes, lid on. At the 15-minute mark, place a baking sheet directly under the cast iron on the same shelf. This will prevent the base of the bread from burning.
• 450°F for 10 minutes, lid on
• 450°F for 10 minutes, lid off
• When baking is complete, the bread should have an internal temperature of at least 205F and it should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom of the loaf.
• Let the bread cool for a couple of hours before you slice it.